1. Field of the Invention
The subject of the present invention is a hand brake for a motor vehicle, designed so as to be connected to a brake cable.
2. Description of the Related Art
Parking hand brakes are known which comprise a ratchet plate intended to be fixed to the floor of the vehicle, a pawl designed so as to interact with the ratchet plate, and a handgrip lever equipped with a push-button associated with the pawl.
In one particular embodiment, the grip lever is made from sheet metal and is bent into a U-shape, in which the two end plates resulting from this bending are used as elements for combining the other parts. The pawl is linked to a release push-button, making it possible to hold the brake locked in the desired position, and correlatively to unlock it. The ratchet plate interacting with the pawl is associated with a device for fixing the brake on the floor of the vehicle, and with a joint which gives the lever its rotational movement with respect to the ratchet plate in order to pull on the brake cable. The end plates of the U-shaped lever extend in the desired direction, substantially perpendicular to the action of the cable or cables.
This mechanical device must usually be supplemented, for aesthetical reasons, with a grip handle which is often extended by a plastic decorative piece.
The manufacturing cost of these known brakes is relatively high. Furthermore, assembly lines must be provided which are specific to each type of brake, making it impossible to automate their assembly. Indeed, the levers can have a different form depending upon the wishes of the customer, this diversity of form being poorly compatible with automatic assembly of the various constituent parts of the brake. Such automation is also not facilitated by the U-shaped configuration of the lever.
Lastly, the grip levers of the known brakes contain a rigid push rod, and are hence correlatively rectilinear or slightly angled, which limits the diversity of forms which the handgrip handle of the lever can encompass.
The object of the invention is to provide a parking hand brake whose structure is simplified as compared with that of the known brakes, and which permits partial automation of its assembly, thus reducing the cost price of the brake.